CUE August 2026 Newsletter

Meet Two of CUE’s Long-Time Professors

This month we’re turning the spotlight on two of the people who make the UNC Center for Urban Education (CUE) a successful teaching institution. Between them, Sandy Mason and Juli Lenzotti bring more than six decades of classroom, coaching, and district leadership experience to CUE teacher candidates.

CUE Professor Sandy Mason (right) with CUE Director Rosanne Fulton and graduate Desiree Lee

Instructor Spotlight: Sandy Mason

Some educators measure a career in years. Sandy Mason measures it in students—four decades of them, across elementary classrooms, secondary schools, an administrator’s office, and now a decade of teaching and mentoring at the UNC Center for Urban Education.

Ten Years at the Center

Mason joined CUE in 2016 and has been teaching and mentoring students here ever since—a milestone that surprises even her. “Ten years! WOW,” she said. “It’s such an awesome opportunity and honor to serve our student body and staff.” Before she came to the Center, Mason spent more than 40 years in education, teaching at the elementary and secondary levels and serving as an administrator in the Cherry Creek School District.

CUE Director Dr. Rosanne Fulton said this about Sandy: “Every CUE teacher candidate that works with Sandy reports that she is their best advisor and coach. Sandy’s greatest talent is her ability to understand people and their dreams and needs. Her ability to support learning and growth is admirable.”

Inside the Classroom: Multicultural Literature for Children

At CUE, Mason teaches Multicultural Literature for Children, a course she loves. “I see how it greatly impacts our students in becoming more culturally relevant to all students, most especially our students from diverse backgrounds,” she said. The course asks candidates to look closely at the books they will put in children’s hands and at whose stories those books tell.

How She Connected with CUE

Mason came to the Center by way of several former colleagues connected to CUE, who recommended the program to her. She said it was the perfect place to land after her retirement. What sealed it were the program’s objectives, mission, and shared values, which apply to staff and students alike. “Staff here at the Center are all striving collectively to bring the best to students across the Denver metro area with excellence and accountability.”

What She Values Most

Ask Mason what she appreciates most about her work at CUE and the answer is flexibility—specifically, the freedom to design a creative curriculum that stays relevant to what her students actually need, academically and emotionally.

The rest of the answer is about people. She describes the gratitude she has received from CUE students as humbling and inspirational and credits CUE Director Dr. Rosanne Fulton’s appreciation of Mason’s work with fueling her dedication to the Center.

Off the Clock

When she is not teaching, Mason is most likely spending time with her five grandchildren. She spends the rest of her free time entertaining and cooking, gardening, adventurous travel, and long conversations with family and friends over a great meal. She proudly claims the title of “foodie.”

Mason invites students, colleagues, and community members to reach out to her at the Center or by email at cassandra.mason@unco.edu. “I love a great conversation,” she said. “We accomplish and resolve more of our daily concerns as a collective. A welcoming, caring community keeps us stronger professionally and individually. We’re truly better together!”

CUE Professor Juli Lenzotti with her students

Instructor Spotlight: Juli Lenzotti

Registration holds. Course substitutions. Practicum hours. Graduation requirements. The details that decide whether a teacher candidate makes it to student teaching on time rarely make it into a newsletter, which is exactly why Juli Lenzotti belongs in one.

Behind the Scenes and in the Field

Juli Lenzotti has been at CUE since fall 2018. She supports practicum students in the Social Studies and Literacy practicum and the Math and Science practicum. Alongside that fieldwork, she provides behind-the-scenes support to Director Fulton and helps candidates stay on track with their student teaching and graduation requirements.

Fulton had this to say about Lenzotti: “Juli makes the whole world a better place and she is especially influential at our Center. She is helpful, kind, and wise in every situation. We all owe her so much gratitude.”

A Career Across the Denver Metro Area

Lenzotti came to CUE after a long career in district and school leadership, most of it in Denver Public Schools. She served as Director of K–12 Math and worked as a Math Specialist, Math Curriculum Coordinator, and Teacher Effectiveness Coach in Denver Public Schools and worked as an Instructional Coach in Littleton Public Schools. Before those district roles, she taught sixth grade math at Summit County Middle School and worked as an elementary teacher in both Denver Public Schools and Omaha Public Schools.

How She Connected with CUE

The connection was personal. Lenzotti knew Rosanne Fulton from their work together in Denver Public Schools, so when she retired from DPS in June of 2018, the path forward was already clear. She said, “I was inspired to give back by supporting CUE teacher candidates working in urban schools, earning their degrees, and beginning their careers.” She started at the Center teaching math methods classes.

Bright Spots

Two ideas shape how Lenzotti sees the work. The first is a line she returns to often, attributed to educator and author Manny Scott:

Even on your worst day in the classroom, you are some child’s best hope.

– Manny Scott, Author and Speaker

“It is always inspiring to watch CUE teacher candidates grow throughout their time here at the Center, developing relationships with their students and becoming their students’ best hope,” she said.

The second idea comes from Chip and Dan Heath, co-authors of Switch and Made to Stick: the concept of a “bright spot.” Rather than starting with what’s broken, look for the places where something is already working, then ask how to repeat it—small successes, studied and scaled, as the engine of change. Lenzotti sees CUE teacher candidates becoming exactly that: bright spots in their schools and classrooms, with the greatest benefit going to their students.

What She Values Most

“Each CUE student is such an asset to the school in which they work, and they make a difference for their students,” Lenzotti said. “It is a pleasure getting to know each one individually and building relationships.”

Off the Clock

Lenzotti is a summer person, heat included. Her off time goes to being outdoors, gardening, and walking—she logs a lot of steps. She’s also a self-described foodie: cooking, new cooking shows, following chefs and the Denver-area restaurant scene, trying new recipes, and taking the occasional cooking class.